Page 64 of Blood Bearon
“I couldn’t,” he stammered. “I don’t know the first thing about rule. I’m not ready for something like that, surely there are better choices, someone you could pick that…”
Khove’s words trailed into silence. Kaelyn was staring at him, arms crossed, eyebrows knit together.
“Shut up.”
“Pardon?” Khove was thoroughly confused.
“Shut. Up.”
He opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about, then closed it.
“Better,” she teased. “Now, Khove. Have you ever known me to be rash when it comes to important decisions like, oh, say, who should rule the House after I die or retire?”
He wisely kept his mouth firmly shut.
“Ah, see, you can learn. You’ll make a perfect Knight.” She came closer again and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “I’ve thought this through a lot. Why do you think this is the last of the empty positions to be filled, Khove? I needed to be sure of my choice. I did not arrive at this decision lightly, but I am confident in it. I’m confident inyou.”
He tried to speak, but she hushed him with a solitary upraised finger. Her eyes grew dark and clouded, and Kaelyn was replaced by the Queen of High House Ursa as she fixed her eyes upon him, speaking strongly.
“Now, I have no intentions of retiring anytime soon. There’s a storm coming, and I intend to guide us through it first. Korred is just the beginning. Other players are moving, shadows darkening. We’re not out of it, not yet. If I survive it, then we’ll talk about transition of power.”
“You don’t think this will be over with Korred?” he asked quietly into the silence of the Throne Room.
“Khove is but a pawn, I fear,” she whispered. “I haven’t told the others much of this yet. I don’t want them to worry. I have had…visions.” She shook her head. “We’ll discuss that after you deal with the traitor. Our House must be fully united to withstand what is coming.”
He nodded, still trying to process the fact that if he succeeded, he would become the second in command of the House. It was a stunning announcement, and one that he had never seen coming. All he had to do was get a little blood on his hands first.
Fitting,he thought.A ruler must be willing to make the hard decisions, including who lives and who dies. And they must be ready to take that life if need be. To have blood on their own hands.
He straightened, standing tall, shoulders back. Khove’s entire House was counting on him, and he didn’t plan on letting them down.
“Go find your lieutenant,” Kaelyn said quietly. “Make good with her. You need her help.” She paused. “I wish I could spare more people from the defense of the Manor, but things are just too shaky here as it is. If you get into trouble though, we will be there. You have but to call.”
“I will, my Queen,” he said fiercely, his loyalty to the woman on the throne stronger than it had ever been.
“I know you will. Now go, my knight. My baron. Go and bring me the Traitor’s body.”
31
Walking into the Sheriff’s office, she couldn’t help but marvel at the transformation that the sleepy little police headquarters had undergone since this madness began.
Absent were the officers lounging at desks and joking by the coffee machine. Empty desks and neat stacks of paperwork had been replaced by overused coffee cups and crumpled pieces of paper. Neatly dressed and tucked-in uniforms were rumpled, and most of the men had unkept scruff.
Yet there was a light in their eyes she’d not seen before. These men had been called to duty—possibly for the first time in their careers—and they were responding. One and all, the Plymouth Falls police force was rising to the task. Their city was under siege, and they knew it. Not a single one of them had backed down.
Rachel was damn proud of them, even as she marched along the rows of desks to get her ass handed to her by the boss himself. Things had been going so well, or so she’d thought.
While three quarters of the force was busy securing the scene at the bank, returning the gold, and processing the prisoners, Korred had struck the city once again. Completely unhindered.
“Corningstone!”
She came to attention in front of Sheriff Dottner’s desk, waiting as her boss closed the door. This was going to be bad, she could feel it.
“Last night was a grade-A clusterfuck, Detective.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Sir. I thought we had the guys responsible for the attacks in Plymouth Falls.”
“Well, while you had us all focused on one spot, somebody hit another eight properties throughout the city.”
